Details added (first version posted on 14:28)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
Pakistan invites Azerbaijani companies to participate in and benefit from opportunities of the economic corridor which is being created between Pakistan and China, said Pakistani Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan.
He made the remarks during the Azerbaijan-Pakistan business meeting in Baku Dec. 5.
“As you know, an economic corridor worth $46 billion is being created between Pakistan and China, and we invite Azerbaijani companies to take advantage of opportunities of this project and participate in it,” said Dastgir Khan.
He noted that the project, implementation of which started in April 2015, envisages the creation of a wide infrastructure network.
“This includes the construction of ports, gas terminals, railways and pipelines with a length of 3,000 kilometers between the two countries,” said the Pakistani minister. “We think the Azerbaijani companies can take part in it.”
The corridor will connect the Pakistani port of Gwadar with Xinjiang Uyghur Region in western China, as well as ensure China’s access to the Indian Ocean and beyond.
Pakistan is ready to do everything possible to ensure that the proposals put forward at the last meeting of the intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation are implemented in a shortest possible period, said Dastgir Khan.
“We offered Azerbaijan a five-year plan of economic cooperation and we want it to be endorsed until the end of the first quarter of 2017,” added the minister. “During this period, an agreement is expected to be signed between Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and a counterpart structure in Pakistan.”
Dastgir Khan went on to say that the development of economic relations will contribute to turning the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan into business partnership.